Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Single best piece of equipment...

Swaro 10x42's.

Dink

Lotsa boots and lotsa binocs. I guess that makes good sense. I have pretty strong feelings for my boots too; Schnees Beartooths.

compass -or boots.

an Apex ladder stand with a suspension type seat and back, second Cabellas MT050 Whitetail extreme Goretex lined Bib overalls and coat. For stand hunting in December, nothing beats them.

Boots are most important, rifle is probably the "best."

I need to get a pair of those. I have lost some of my hearing and I'm sure I make more noise than I think I do.

As far as gear goes my first thought would be a "strong back", but I have to say it's a toss up between a camera, boots and good maps.

My gun safe. I would be heartbroken since it contains my Swaros, Zeiss, 3 7x57s, my camera, a Hi-Power, a Colt...

BristeCD, that is cheating. Pick one!

I've got some "walkin' horses" that I'm partial to...

A good, lightweight compass that WORKS. I have several but my current favorite IIRC is a Brunton. It's a little round plastic job without all that extra gadgetry and bulk so common on many compasses found in stores. It liquid filled, resolves quickly, and stops there (no spinning).

Second is my Mini-Mag 2-AA flashlight. If the moon is below the horizon, I can't see the compass without a light. I would rather sleep in my bed when the hunt is over. This combo has seen me back many times. If I go out in unfamiliar country, I take my Garmin Etrex HC.

Of course these things are not absolutely necessary to kill game animals, but they sure are nice when it gets real dark in the woods.

My truck...I'd hate having to walk to the trailhead

Although I would say boots and or pack would be among the top of the list, I am still yet to find a pair of boots that has simply stunned me... My Cabelas Elk Hunters by Danner have been great, but on 5+ mile days I develop blisters or hot spots. My Eberlestock Dragonfly is awesome, but on heavy loads the straps leave something to be desired (they are 'soft' and fold twist and turn easily and need more padding). Most any Remington bolt ,(721, 700, 788 etc) will most likely shoot straight enough....

Having said that, I would say my Leica Optics are most important... Duovids, spotting scope and range finder. If you cant see it, you cant shoot it.

Second would probably be my Springfield XD-40... I hunt near the border and carry this pistol every second I am out there.. I have never needed it in a self defense type of scenario, but if I ever do, I trust my life on it and that is comforting knowing it is on my hip at all times.

I carry a 10' piece of plastic rope. you know the type one would buy at Walmart. After gutting deer, and taking heart and liver, I tie through shank and throw the other end over a limb, and pull the deer up into a tree. With the deer off the ground, over the next hour and a half or so I am easily able to rough butcher the deer, and get all meat into my backpack, and eventually into the veggie crisper of my refer... Much easier as I can now take days to process my deer, to get it gight.. Also, a good marriage saver, without a hairy bloody mess!!!

tscott,
boy, you wouldnt do that with one of our whitetails unless you played in the NFL!

But let me ask you this.....the original purpose of this thread is which piece of equipment have you fallen in love with and could not bear to part with. Does the rope fall into this category?

I think I phrased it like this....if every piece of your hunting equipment was stolen but this one item, you would still be happy....and if only this piece was stolen and everything else left, you would be sad.

My adjustable Treestand rifle rest by GS3 Hunting Products!

health. without it everything else doesn't matter, and you don't realize how valuable it is until you lose it.

+1 on health. Getting hit with Rheumatoid arthritis at 32 was a game changer.

if i tossed a coin, it'd be either my danner boots or my osage orange walking stick...

I see that John's wife must read his posts.

In sticking with the original point of the thread, the one piece of hunting equipment I would hate to loose the most would be my Pre-64 M70 Echols Legend in 270 Winchester.

Chet

OK .... I would be sad to lose the Compass that my Dad used in the Battle of the Bulge... I've shot deer mostly in NY, ND, Minn. (Detroit Lakes)..and now in retirement in NC... Deer are pretty much the same size, except for the very big ones... Those only get about 3/4ths off the ground, still an advantage...Also, those who say healthare + right on!!!... I am so lucky at 64... Thank my lucky stars, that I am still able to hunt alone in deep woods and pack my deer out!!!